Assessment of Diabetic Foot Prevention by Nurses

Abstract

Diabetic foot is a severe complication of diabetes, with serious consequences such as amputations and high mortality rates as well as elevated economic costs. To evaluate whether or not nursing staff follow the recommendations of national and international organizations regarding diabetic foot prevention, a cross-sectional and observational descriptive study was carried out using an ad hoc self-administered questionnaire validated by seven experts, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.731. Of the total 164 participants, 157 met the inclusion criteria. Findings showed that 96.58% asked their patients to remove their footwear, 78.34% performed thorough examinations, and 80.25% assessed the risk of developing diabetic foot. Participants educated their patients in self-care and evaluated skills related to diabetic foot control either frequently (84.07%) or very frequently (62.42%), and only 19.11% of them carried out group activity workshops. Significant statistical differences were found in the performance of activities in the groups by participant age intervals, whether working in primary health care or a hospital, having specific training, and the participant’s DM patient ratio. We obtained high percentages of compliance in the assessed activities in comparison to other studies. Nevertheless, we believe it is necessary to encourage screening in specialized care, skills testing, and the implementation of educational group activities and workshops.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices on diabetic foot care among nurses in Kimberley, South Africa

“…Barefoot examination was performed at each visit by 36.31% of participants. 48 This contrasted with findings by Kaya and Karaca on the evaluation of nurses on diabetic foot care, where 77.5% of nurses do not perform foot examinations for patients in their units. 20 …”

Relationship between social development indicators and mortality due to Diabetes Mellitus in Brazil: a space-time analysis

“…In this context, the contribution of Nursing can be enhanced through the use of methods that promote effective and meaningful learning, with planned and adapted educational interventions for each learning level ( 27 ) , such as discussion groups, the use of playful interventions, welcoming in the waiting room, campaigns and case studies, among others. In these opportunities, it is important to prioritize information about DM and healthy lifestyles ( 28 ) , in order to increase knowledge and skills for daily care, prevention of complications and unfavorable outcomes such as death.…”

“…A wide scope for overall improvement in the care of patients with DM can be seen ahead, with an urgent need to include the topic in the intra-and inter-sectoral public health policies developed in the country, especially in terms of reducing social disparities, expanding access to health and implementing policies for promotion, education, prevention and surveillance regarding diabetes (23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29) .…”

Relação indicadores de desenvolvimento social e mortalidade por diabetes mellitus no Brasil: análise espacial e temporal

“…Nesse contexto, a contribuição da enfermagem pode ser potencializada com a utilização de métodos que promovam uma aprendizagem efetiva e significativa, com intervenções educativas planejadas e adaptadas para cada nível de aprendizagem (27) , tais como os grupos de discussão, uso de intervenções lúdicas, acolhimento na sala de espera, campanhas, estudos de caso, entre outros.…”